Division
by xxbegonedeidaraxx
Summary: -AU- Cinderella has been married to whom she thought was Prince Charming for a year. In that amount of time, their marriage turns sour and eventually abusive. Desperate to escape her miserable married life, Cinderella (now Ella) would do just about anything for a way out of her marriage. Anything. Rated M for various reasons.


_"...and do you, Cinderella Tremaine, take this man, to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Cinderella looked up at her to-be husband's face. His loving eyes stared right into her's. _

_"I do"'  
_

_"James Porter and Cinderella Tremaine, I now pronounce you, man, and wife", the old church pastor smiled warmly," you may now kiss the bride". _

_And with that, James bent down and gently kissed her. _

_From then on, Cinderella knew, that they were going to live happily ever after._

* * *

"You lazy wench, how dare you deny me!" Each blow hurt more than the last," It has been one year and you have not provided me an heir, so you deny my presence and refuse a chance to produce a son?". Ella suppressed her tears, refusing to cry.

"I'm...so sorry. I am just very tired James". Thankfully, James's temper simmered, his fists unclenched. Ella was thankful for this.

"You will not be tired until I tell you, understood?" Ella nodded obediently.

And with that, James stormed out of their bedroom. The bedroom that he had reconstructed just for Ella-or rather, _Cinderella's _arrival. It had taken a mere two months to reconstruct the already behemoth room. What used to be a roomy comfortable dormitory had turned into a spacious domain fit for five people to accommodate. James had spared no time breaking it in. Ella adored the room, though it was a bit uncomfortable, considering she lived in an attic for most of her life. The decorations were beautiful, along with the giant windows and the heavy dark red curtains. Her closet space itself was bigger than the living room of her previous home.

Everything was so happy and joyous on the eve of their wedding. Ella danced until her toes refused to waltz anymore. Her dress was a bit worn, but it didn't matter. She was happy, tired, and a bit tipsy from the liquor at the reception. Ella and James had looked at each other with so much love, it hurt her heart. His black hair was matted against his brow and sweat beads bloomed all around his handsome face.

"I love you Cinderella", he had said to her.

Ella bitterly laughed at the memory. If only she knew how sour and unhappy everything turned, four months into the marriage. She had refused James multiple times, saying that she wasn't ready. He was always willing to take her needs above his, though his patience wore thin throughout the weeks, going from coaxing to demanding. He always said that he loved her and would wait a century just for her. Ella, or Cinderella at the time, was gracious about his patience. Then tragedy struck among the Porter castle. The king had suffered a heart attack and passed away five months into James and Ella's marriage. At the funeral, James was moodier and more hostile than usual. The queen had quietly and dutifully stepped down from her position as queen.

On the morning of his coronation, James had looked at Ella with stone cold eyes.

"Now that I am king, I will need an heir". She knew then, that him waiting was over. At the coronation, Ella wore a beautiful light blue gown. She watched the crown being placed on her husband's head. The former queen dabbed at her wet eyes with a handkerchief.

"I remembered when he was barely trained in the art of latrine use, now here he is, crowned as king", she then looked at Ella with sharpened eyes, ready to kill," and as a king, it is his, and your duty to produce an heir to the throne". Ella shakily nodded. She then turned her attention to the now King James, with the traditional sword, robe, and all glorious kingly aura. James stood there with a stern expression on his face. Ella was taken aback at how powerful he is now.

That night, Ella willingly gave herself up. As painful as it was, the deed was soon done. The next morning, James woke up in a good mood, an unusual event. He suggested an in-bed breakfast and a walk on the beach. She hummed and sewed while James sat beside her, reading a letter. That night, they went at it again.

Three weeks in, and Ella noticed that she hasn't shown any signs of morning sickness. Her period came and went. Still, James urged her to keep trying until her womb was full. Seven months later, here she was, still not pregnant. They had tried almost every night, except on the nights she had her period. Every time she refused him, James lost his new found temper and yelled at her, sometimes even hitting her.

Lifting herself up from the ground, Ella limped to the shower room. She stripped off her clothes and soaked in the biting cold of the soapy water. Does she even love James anymore? Or was there never any love from the start? Now that Ella thinks about it, she had known James for not even twenty four hours before wedding him. She always thought that they would live together forever and love each other with all their hearts everyday. Had she known about his secret temper and horrible attitude, Ella would have let her sisters slice off their own toes just to fit the dainty glass slipper.

She would have happily lived out her life as a servant, knowing that her fate could have been worse.

* * *

That night, Ella slid into the massive bed, only to find it empty. Instead, she found a letter, scribbled angrily by James.

_Ella, I have a meeting I must attend to. I will back by late morning tomorrow. Good night. _

_What meeting takes all night to attend_? She thought somberly while blowing out the lamp on the drawer next her bedside, knowing that it was definitely not any ordinary meeting.

**Author's note:**

**Please R&R and let me know what you think! I will write why Cinderella changed her name in the next chapter. Until then, ta ta :D**


End file.
